News Url

India is Ponting feels India tour will not be helpful for Ashes | Australia tour of india in October

SYDNEY – Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting feels that the tour to India in October will not be an ideal preparation for his team for the Ashes against England in late November.

The India tour was initially scheduled to consist of seven 50-over matches, but Cricket Australia (CA) agreed to the host’s request to change that to two Tests and three one-dayers.

The two Tests, in Mohali and Bangalore, should help Australia to prepare for the Ashes, but Ponting feels that pitch characteristics in India will be different to those expected for the Ashes opener at the Gabba in late November.

“If you were trying to set down and map out your perfect preparation for an Ashes series or a home series it probably wouldn’t be playing two Test matches in India. But you don’t live in an ideal world. We’ll wait and see who we’ve got that’s fit and ready to go for that tour and pick a squad of players we think can win a Test series over there, and then worry about the start of the Ashes after that,” Ponting was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

According to Ponting, the prospect of changes to Australia’s batting line-up in time for October’s Test tour of India is remote.

“I think you can look at all of our batsmen through this tour. We’ve faced some pretty challenging conditions at different times. Both innings at Lord’s the ball got around a fair bit, certainly the first innings here (Headingley) were probably the most challenging conditions that any of us have batted in,” he said.

“We all analyse ourselves pretty closely and we all want to play well all the time but unfortunately that’s not the way this game works. But if you’re going to win Test matches you have to have five or six or seven of your guys playing well each game and we probably didn’t have that in this particular Test match,” said Ponting.

source: blog.taragana.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

Ricky Ponting’s Headingley Bloomer | Australia captain | Ricky Ponting

The outcome of the second Test between Pakistan and Australia was based on a mistake by Ricky Ponting.

To win the toss and bat first in those conditions was criminal and neither Brian Close nor Ray Illingworth watching it with me could believe it. Anyone who’s done their homework on Headingley knows that under cloud cover the ball will swing and seam and to make matters worse the rain had been bouncing down in Leeds the night before and the pitch was bound to have sweated under the tarpaulin covers. With a 10.30 start in the morning it was asking for trouble and if he had won the toss and come up to me as an opener and said we were batting I’d have hit him with the bat. In England, with an early start in those conditions you want to field first and the seam bowlers would be queuing up to get the ball in their hands. That decision alone cost Australia the game because on that first morning some of the balls went sideways and although it was never easy, when the sun came out batting became better despite the fact there was always something there for the bowlers.

Neither side is at home in these conditions because they don’t come across them very often and are used to coming at the ball forcefully whereas at Leeds you have to let the ball come to you. It’s the sort of thing I learned by playing on uncovered pitches for 18 years of my career.

In 18 year old Mohammad Aamer, the left arm seamer, Pakistan have a real talent. I remember seeing him at the start of his career and being impressed but now he gets in closer to the stumps more often and swings the ball late and at pace. He’s got aggression and the heart to go with it and he could become even more dangerous when he gets even closer to the stumps. But he produces some great deliveries and the one he got Mitchell Johnson with in the first innings was a cracker that would have got many a better batsman out. As Fred Trueman would have said of such a magnificent delivery: "It were wasted on thee, lad".

On a level playing field you’d back Australia to win every time and good though the Pakistan bowlers were, their batting is young, talented, naïve and folds under pressure. They had seven down at the end even though the Aussies didn’t bowl very well; too short and wide where at Headingley you need to be full and straight.

The Australians no longer have great bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne to get them out of jail now and they paid the price for Ponting’s crass error of judgement. Well done Pakistan.

Tags: sachin tendulkar, brian lara, sachin, sachin tendulkar records, sachin tendulkar wiki

Popularity: unranked [?]

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar hit his 48th Test hundred to lead the Indian fightback on third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Wednesday.

The batting maestro hit his ton in 167 balls which was studded with 13 boundaries and a six.

Tendulkar, who holds the record of scoring highest number of centuries, played brilliant cricket with Suresh Raina to dominate the day.

Sachin also equalled the former Australian captain Steve Waugh’s Test record to have played the most number of matches (168).

Earlier, debutant Raina slammed his maiden half-century to lead the Indian fightback with Sachin Tendulkar.

VVS Laxman departed after a slow partnership with Sachin Tendulkar to leave India tottering at 243 for four at tea.

Tendulkar and Laxman almost batted through the second session but Ajantha Mendis broke the slow 68-run stand by trapping the stylish Hyderabadi 10 minutes before tea break.

Tendulkar, who was dropped on 29 by Prasanna Jayawardene off Dilhara Fernando, was batting on 39 and debutant Suresh Raina was yet to open his account.

Laxman (29) and Tendulkar dug in went about their business slowly and raised a stand of 68-run to deny the Lankan bowlers any success for almost two hours.

The mid-session produced 70 runs after the troubled opening session, which saw India being jolted by three quick blows including that of explosive Virender Sehwag.

Tendukar’s runs came off 95 balls while Laxman consumed 98 balls for his 29-run knock.

The duo slowed down the proceedings by playing a lot of dot balls and relied on ones and twos to keep the scoreboard moving.

Laxman was lucky as his edges, off spinner Suraj Randiv and paceman Dammika Prasad, fell short of fielders.

Laxman finally got out as he failed to read a Mendis googly and was caught in front of the wicket.

source: www.news.zakhas.com

Popularity: unranked [?]

Sachin Tendulkar 48th test century | sri lanka vs india sachin century

Sachin Tendulkar has made it once again. He has acted as the root of Indian Cricket Team. Today when India was in need of a big innings by one of its player then it was Master Blaster who understood the need of the time and came forward hitting 48th Century. This was the IIIrd day play in the 2nd Test match at SSC Ground in Sri-Lanka where Sachin came with a wonderful century and has determined Indian Team that they are still in the game and there is nothing to worry about.

Sachin Tendulkar is really like a boon to Indian Cricket and it is because of him only that Indian Cricket has reached the Top Level in this decade. Sachin has hit his 48th Century today and hence is very near to make Half-Century of Centuries and also has the Record to hit the maximum number of Centuries in both the formats that is Test and One-day International. He make us feel proud at International Level Cricket.

source:www.imagine18.com

Popularity: unranked [?]